A new report from the United Nations Security Council is quite alarming.
It claims that the most serious terrorist threat that is operating within Afghanistan right now is called ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Afghan ISIS branch. The Council estimates that there are anywhere between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters in ISIS-K.
Since Afghanistan’s former democratic government fell to the Taliban only a few months after the botched U.S. military withdrawal from the country, the terrorist cell has benefitted from the ability to move freely within the country and operate how they want to.
The UN Security Council report further states that there remains a “strong and symbolic” relationship between the Taliban, which is currently running Afghanistan, and al Qaeda as well as multiple other terrorist-focused groups.
When the Taliban re-took control of Afghanistan in August of 2021, spokespeople for the group made many assurances that the country wouldn’t again end up being a safe haven for some of these terrorist groups. They also said they wouldn’t allow any terrorist group to stage a terror attack from within Afghan territory.
Former President Donald Trump negotiated the 2020 Doha Agreement, which laid the groundwork for U.S. military forces to withdraw from Afghanistan in time. In exchange for that, the Taliban pledged to work hard to prevent all terrorist organizations from using the country to either attack or even threaten the U.S. or any of its allies.
Just three years later, though, and it appears that the Taliban isn’t living up to its end of the bargain.
The UN Security Council report says that al Qaeda doesn’t just have a solid relationship with the Taliban. It’s actively working to protect the senior officials within the Taliban and has worked to try to make their way into the ranks of the Afghan government.
The report states that two provisional governors of the Taliban are directly associated with the terrorist organization. It also says that another member of the Taliban who is associated with Qaeda serves as the deputy director of the general directorate of intelligence.
“Welfare payments” on a monthly basis are also being made to some of the fighters in terrorist groups that are associated with al Qaeda, the report states.
In response to the UN Security Council report, many people and organizations hoping to stave off terrorist organizations in Afghanistan expressed their dismay. One of those people was Ali Maisam Nazary, who serves as the National Resistance Front’s head of foreign relations.
He told Fox News Digital recently:
“This report serves as a validation of our claims regarding the Taliban’s apartheid and oppression. It confirms the alarming surge in drug production within the country as well. Furthermore, it highlights the growing presence, mobilization and threat posed by over 21 terrorist groups in Afghanistan, thereby endangering regional and international security.
“The time has come for the international community to acknowledge the gravity of Afghanistan’s threats and its fragile state. It is crucial to abandon failed strategies that have failed to bring about any positive changes in the past two years or address the imminent dangers originating from Afghanistan.”
